Compiègne Forest (14,500ha), a remnant of the immense Cuise forest, is a delight with its tall beech, oak and pine copses, valleys, ponds, villages and magnificent avenues. 1,500km of roads and tracks riddle the forest, still home to herds of deer and paradise for walkers. Nearby, at the Eugénie crossroads, are some oak trees that are said to date from the era of Francois I.